Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-08-24
The Stury Tellet.
A MESSENGER.

I.
On great stretch of rough pasture land
near Sweethope lake stands the lonely lit
tie homestead where old Aaron Wilkinson
lived nearly twenty years ago.
Far as the eye can travel, not another
human habitation can be seen, only broad
sweep of half reclaimed moorland, broken
by huge gray powders, clumps OF golden
bracken, and withered furze.
To eastward, however, there is the
cleaning water and the blue line OF dis
tant hills.
One autumn evening the old man sat
alone by the kitchen fire, gazing sorrow
fully into it. His pipe lay neglected on
the hob, and the beautiful collie that was
stretched at his feet looked up in vain for
the: kindly notice to which he was accus-
toned, and by and by Moss rose and laid
his head on his masters knee IN deep
The little farm, poor though It was, and
the small dark house were dear to the old
man; and from time to time he glanced
wisttully round the kitchen.
The fitful freight fell on the dark beams
of the unceiled roof, danced upon the shin
ing tinware hanging on the wall, and the
old fashioned plates and dishes ranged
along the polished oaken dresser and litup
the brass face Of the ancient clock ticking
away the hours.
All, dear! How long would it all be
his?
Things had been going against the farmer.
His sheep had died, and his hay had
been badly won, and, for the first time in
his honest hard working life, the rent day
was close at hand and he could not meet it.
So within that tiny homestead old age
sat alone with care and grief, while out
side were youth and love and hope and
happiness.
The gold of sunset yet fingered in few
faint streaks amid the dark clouds to west
ward; but the shadow of approaching
night lay on all the land.
Scarcely sound was to be heard save
the fresh, clear voice of a young girl call
ing home the cows.
HHofy, Hofy, Hofyv' as is the sweet,
half plaintive cry of the north country,
and the answering low of the gentle crea-
lures came nearer and nearer through the
twilight. -.
Long ere the beasts have reached their
home another ear had heard the maiden's
call, and tall handsome lad was by Mag
gy's side, and her warm young lips felt
her lovers kiss.
Poor, motherless Maggy! her life had
been lonely one, though the stern old
father loved her almost to idolatry-loved
her with an exacting intensity that made
him long to keep her ever in INSIGHT, and
jealous OF all who looked upon his darling,
and by its very passion raised barrier be-
tween his child's heart and his own.
For Maggy, with all her youth throbbing
within her, and all her beauty (Which, wo-
manlike, she had found utshe possessed),
fretted against the love which sought to
cage her, and grew impatient against age
which had lost its sympathy with youth.
The father had been well on in middle
life when he married his young wife; and
may be she too had missed something, If
Maggy got her poetic temperament and
joy-loving nature from the mother that
died so early.
Small blame to the girl that when love
stole into her heart she guarded the secret
carefully from the old mans knowledge.
A mother would have guessed it directly
had she seen how the blue eyes deepened,
how the red pouting lips lost their childish
curves and gained pensive tenderness;
but the change was too subtle one to be
marked by the old farmer.
Full of care as he was through that anx-
ious summer, how could he guess that its
cleaning found Maggy lingering by the
we'll where the wild roses grew, or watch
ing the water fowls build their nests in
the sedges with one who knew the haunts
and habits of every bird and beast and
butterfly in the country round?
Such knowledge was at discount in
the district, and Ralph Irwin was thought
little better than fool by the neighbors
when they came across him lying motion
less as log to watch wild duck in its
flight or a hawk sweeping down upon its
prey.
It is odd that of all classes farmers as q
rule have the least interest in nature and
the habits of untamed creatures, and the
most supreme contempt for those who care
got q market value, or the growth OF plants
that serve neither for food nor for winter
warmth.
So poor Ralph, with all his instructive
craving to know about everything that
lives, his treasures of dead and living
birds, eggs of all sizes and colors, his care
fully collected, if ill set, moths and butter
flies and ferns, was considered quite in the
light of a ne'er-do-weel.
His father, too, had possessed the same
tastes and more vagrant habits, and had
cegot into serious scrape anent poach-
ing frolic; and the shadow OF that disgrace
was still remembered against him the son,
though many year had passed since the
OluCl OlW1u Ipu lCAV ShO IVY cAoAaS 49, SA'S
world with no heritage save his tarnished
name.
To Maggy, however, such knowledge as
the lad had managed to acquire seemed
perfectly marvellous, and growing Intimate
with him opened quite new world to the
girl who had been brought up to think that
this beautiful earth was principally good
for fattening bullocks and growing turnips.
From the day when she met him first
by the lake, the young creatures heart had
opened to him like flower taken from a
darkened prison to the light of the sum-
mer sunshine.
There was in Maggy, as in many border
maidens, strange germ of romance and
poetry and hitherto her hard prosaic life
had given it no chance of development.
Now at the touch of love it burst at
once into maturity.
Her ardent, impulsive nature had been
held down by restraint, and stunted by
her fathers outward coolness; but happi-
ness and loves rapture transformed the
girl into creature throbbing with passion
and demonstrative with gracious aban-
don, sweet and subtle in its charm as that
which ever gladdened the heart of lover
in olden story.
She stood with one soft, warm hand rest
ing on Ralph's tall shoulder, the other
stroking his cheek with tender coquetry,
and she nestled to him as his strong arm
clasped her closely.
"Oh, my love, my love, how did ever
live without you?" she said. Life was
dreary, dreary as the cherries winter time
afore the spring wakens the flowers and
brings the song o. birds. Oh, Ralph,
Ralph, feel as though had never been
alive till now!'
The young fellows only answer was to